alexandral (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alexandral) wrote2010-03-29 06:26 pm
alexandral) wrote2010-03-29 06:26 pm
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Why do you watch Asian dramas?
This comes from a comment by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
blueocean80 . She mentions an article discussing "Why do non-Asians watch Asian dramas". It seems that the author's opinion is that because non-Asians are not a part of Asian culture, they can detach themselves and don't take everything personally, so they can just ignore stereotypes and clichés and enjoy dramas.
I don't agree with the writer's POV . I can never detach myself from anything I watch, be it Asian or non-Asian shows, I usually get easily deeply involved (obsessive even). I know exactly why I personally like Asian drams:
1) I personally love my stories with a start and a finish and not very long (something I must invest 7 years of my life into = no thank you). Also the format of 10-20 episodes, which is usual in Asian entertainment but not so usual in USA shows (where seasonal shows seem to be prevailing) reminds me of what we used to have in Russia.
Perpetual continuousness and lack of proper endings are my less favourite things about USA shows. A show (take Battlestar Galactica) can start with one set of premises but there is no guarantee that these premises won't be changed willy-nilly along the line (take Battlestar Galactica) and there is no guarantee that the ending won't be horrifyingly idiotic (Take Batterstar galactica). These shows aren't written as one piece, so anything can happen. So all 5 years you invested into watching a show can go to complete waste.
2) I particular enjoy the themes of romantic love, family life and period costume stories. Remind me of any single non-soap-opera or non-multiple-season USA or UK show that is about love and family? I don't remember any. There are soaps, there are multiple-season shows but I don't particular like this format (back to number 1). But there are some good short period dramas in UK, and I love them too.
3) I enjoy the "morals" in Asian dramas, I like people being serious about love, I like people who are committed to their life partners, I like stories about people being non-selfish, I like stories about people wanting to succeed in their work, etc. USA shows: in terms of love they are often about partner swapping, in terms of altruistic/selfish outlook on life there is usually more emphasis on personal achievement than on helping others or on family values.
4) I have been always interested in Asian and European cinema, ever since I was at school and our most fabulous "Culture" teacher exposed us to some of the masterpieces of that time, European and Japanese. I guess - big thanks to him!
What about you? Why do you like Asian dramas?
blueocean80 . She mentions an article discussing "Why do non-Asians watch Asian dramas". It seems that the author's opinion is that because non-Asians are not a part of Asian culture, they can detach themselves and don't take everything personally, so they can just ignore stereotypes and clichés and enjoy dramas.I don't agree with the writer's POV . I can never detach myself from anything I watch, be it Asian or non-Asian shows, I usually get easily deeply involved (obsessive even). I know exactly why I personally like Asian drams:
1) I personally love my stories with a start and a finish and not very long (something I must invest 7 years of my life into = no thank you). Also the format of 10-20 episodes, which is usual in Asian entertainment but not so usual in USA shows (where seasonal shows seem to be prevailing) reminds me of what we used to have in Russia.
Perpetual continuousness and lack of proper endings are my less favourite things about USA shows. A show (take Battlestar Galactica) can start with one set of premises but there is no guarantee that these premises won't be changed willy-nilly along the line (take Battlestar Galactica) and there is no guarantee that the ending won't be horrifyingly idiotic (Take Batterstar galactica). These shows aren't written as one piece, so anything can happen. So all 5 years you invested into watching a show can go to complete waste.
2) I particular enjoy the themes of romantic love, family life and period costume stories. Remind me of any single non-soap-opera or non-multiple-season USA or UK show that is about love and family? I don't remember any. There are soaps, there are multiple-season shows but I don't particular like this format (back to number 1). But there are some good short period dramas in UK, and I love them too.
3) I enjoy the "morals" in Asian dramas, I like people being serious about love, I like people who are committed to their life partners, I like stories about people being non-selfish, I like stories about people wanting to succeed in their work, etc. USA shows: in terms of love they are often about partner swapping, in terms of altruistic/selfish outlook on life there is usually more emphasis on personal achievement than on helping others or on family values.
4) I have been always interested in Asian and European cinema, ever since I was at school and our most fabulous "Culture" teacher exposed us to some of the masterpieces of that time, European and Japanese. I guess - big thanks to him!
What about you? Why do you like Asian dramas?
no subject
2) Prettiness. Movie-levels of cinematography, all the time.
3) This is probably just me, but I love how dramas aren't afraid to be emotional. They don't care if they're being cheesy or sentimental or if they have long speeches on feelings or grand passionate romances with all the fixings. Sometimes I watch Western TV and it's like a game to see who cares the least, what with all the snarky asshole heroes and antiheroes and bad guys -- everyone's so afraid of being cheesy or (gasp!!!) Lifetime that they bend over backwards the other way to show cool and modern they are. I'll never forget when I was watching TVD (which is an awesome show otherwise, but this moment killed me) and someone had just done something really nice for a friend, and when the friend sincerely thanked them, they got all embarrassed and said (and I quote) "I just felt like being epic or whatever."
?!?!
All I could think was "if this were an Asian drama that would've been a touching friendship moment included in all the end montages after the friend gets run over by a bus."
So yeah, I love that dramas dare to be about feeeeeelings in a world where that's seen as lame.
no subject
This is SO TRUE. The fear of cancellation of your favourite show because of bad ratings ! It always seems so unfair, especially considering I don't even live in USA and have no way to affect the ratings.
2) Prettiness. Movie-levels of cinematography, all the time.
Indeed! There is a particular ethereal beaty Asian films and shows seem to achieve so easily that Western films and shows never seem to be able to achieve.
3) This is probably just me, but I love how dramas aren't afraid to be emotional. They don't care if they're being cheesy or sentimental or if they have long speeches on feelings or grand passionate romances with all the fixings.
Yes, there definitely seems to be a feel of "feelings are baaaaaaad" in Western shows. This is why I like BBC period drams as well- they seem to think that the feelings were all right in "good olden times".
All I could think was "if this were an Asian drama that would've been a touching friendship moment included in all the end montages after the friend gets run over by a bus."
hahahhahahahaha!